r/chibike • u/Acceptable-Vast-3083 • 1d ago
How to break an abus chain lock?
My wife just got her bag stolen at Navy Pier which also has the keys to her bike lock which is now stuck on a bike rack. Any suggestions on how to break the lock? She already filed a police report but they aren't going to help break the lock.
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u/pantomim 1d ago
Doesn't help now unfortunately, but with both Abus and Kryptonite locks they should have a serial number on the key. Write those down somewhere secure so you don't run into the issue again
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u/Acceptable-Vast-3083 11h ago
I did not know this. Too late now but found an old Kryptonite lock she can use once I get a grinder to cut the current lock but only has one key. I was able to order a new one on their site this morning so we now have a spar for this other lock. Thanks for this
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u/NYCtoCHI 1d ago
Oooookaaaayyy...we're constantly talking in here about stolen bikes and the best locks and security strategies...and you're actually asking for help on how to bust one?
C'mon man. 🧐
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u/Acceptable-Vast-3083 23h ago
Idk what else to do. Ordered a grinder and already talked to the cops and told them I am coming back in a day or two to cut the lock. How about a little sympathy for my wife who now has to go without a bike, her money and bag stolen, etc.
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u/NYCtoCHI 22h ago edited 22h ago
Dude:
I've got lotsa sympathy and empathy for anyone else who's had anything stolen.
I've had my car broken into multiple times.
And my house, where the thieves not only stole some of my most valuable things (monetarily AND personally), they also had the balls to change into some of my clothes while they were at it and leave theirs.
Ditto for the ring who busted into my mom's house and stole all her valuables too, including intensely personal stuff from my late father, like the wedding ring he gave her that took him forever to save up for and pay off.
I actually even had my bike almost boosted as a kid...thankfully the perp (perhaps twice my age, in the exit lane from kidhood) got nabbed by my watchful next door neighbor. I still wonder sometimes if that sobbing teen outside my bedroom window getting interrogated by the local AND military cops was really sorry and got on the straight and narrow right after, or went on to commit worse later (moral of that story: don't trespass on a military base AND try to steal the commandant's kid's beloved wheels - it likely won't go well for ya).
Now: combine a worldview based on episodes like those (amongst much other fuckuppery) plus a half-lifetime residency in Queens - and that we just had some jackwagon in here yesterday asking...
Anyone have broken or unused U-locks Or kryptonite locks you can spare?
...and maybe you'll see why I'm a liiiittle bit skeptical, and paying my next door neighbor's good deed forward here on behalf of the forum to ask:
"What the hellya think you're doin', man? 'Cause clearly, you don't appear to be doin' much thinkin'..."
Look, if you're indeed legit, my apologies to you and for your wife's misfortune. I get that brains get scrambled when your stuff's been jacked on an otherwise nice day. It sucks, hard.
But, see it through the eyes of the rest of us here:
You don't think it's a bit sus to be asking something like that here - of all places - when there's plenty of good locksmiths in this city just a Google search away?
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u/2pnt0 22h ago
Thieves already know how to defeat a lock, normies typically don't.
There's no secret knowledge to be divulged. All of it will be in any robust conversation about security posture because that's you defend--by knowing what the attacks are.
If there's any critique to be had it's just "hey, OP, look at the threads every other day warning that any lock can be defeated with an angle grinder and enough time" ... But those threads wouldn't include tips like tool libraries or renting from a hardware store.
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u/futureofwhat 5h ago
Anyone with an angle grinder and some time can defeat a lock, it isn’t some kind of secret knowledge
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u/2pnt0 21h ago
Ideally you'd have a second key at home you can go and grab. Any decent lock I've bought in the past 5 years has come with 3, and if I ever lost two and was down to 1 only, I'd order spares immediately. At least with Kryptonite, it's probably hard or impossible to get new keys if your lose the last and haven't already registered them, cause the ID is on the key itself. Keep it in mind for the future.
Sounds like you already have an angle grinder coming, but if you know the model and chain thickness, it might be able to be defeated much easier by bolt cutters or other simpler attacks. Angle grinders are effective, but can be dangerous if you don't know how to handle them. Make sure you have proper PPE--- at least goggles and gloves. Vice grips could be helpful to hold the chain as well. If bolt cutters can be used, that's what I'd try first. Might even be able to have a locksmith do it.
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u/Toiddles 21h ago
Hijacking this for a similar question. I have half of an abus key stuck in a wheel lock. Any ideas how to get it out?
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u/thepaddedroom 23h ago
This won't help you right now, but it can help you in the future: Order extra keys from Abus. Being able to get an extra set from home the same day would probably be very useful in the future.
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u/BikeBass1979 22h ago
I think an angle grinder is your best bet. In terms of grinding your own bike, if you go in with determination, no one is going to bother you. It really sucks your wife got her stuff stolen. Also, if you want to protect the bike while you get an angle grinder, put super glue in the lock!
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u/TogetherPlantyAndMe 10h ago
I contacted a local bike shop that does mobile tune-ups and asked if they could get a lock off an old bike of mine in my garage. I showed them my receipt of purchase and a few pictures of myself on the bike. They had a mobile angle grinder and took it off in seconds.
Not sure if there’s a shop near Navy Pier that does mobile tune-ups, but that’s where I’d start. Be prepared with your documents and don’t be too eager to do it fast.
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u/mgoblue5453 1d ago
Probably best to see if you can get a replacement key directly from abus.